


she wants to sleep with you

by toast4ghosts



Category: Ghost in the Shell (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2045, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Headcannons Galore, Probably ooc, Section 9, Self-indulgent fluff, but who knows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:08:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25389550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toast4ghosts/pseuds/toast4ghosts
Summary: After running into a member of Section 1 at the bar, Ishikawa has some interesting news for Batou.  What was meant to be lighthearted teasing between team members leads to an unexpected outcome.
Relationships: Batou & Kusanagi Motoko, Batou/Kusanagi Motoko
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	1. Punchline

* * * * *

After spending more than six years out of the country, the members of the newly rebuilt Section 9 found themselves attempting to get reacquainted with Japan. Paz had found a cop bar not far from the new headquarters, and he, Saito, and Ishikawa had decided to give it a try one night after a particularly boring briefing. It was a bit of a dive, but it suited their needs just fine. They found a booth in the corner, and got to work. With the first couple of drinks already out of the way, Ishikawa raised a hand to signal to the server their desire for another round, when a familiar looking man passed by the end of the bar.

“Hey, isn’t that the Major’s old boyfriend, the guy from Section 1?” asked Saito.

“Damn, you’re right, it is.” replied Ishikawa. “Geez, he’s still around?”

Just then, he happened to notice the Section 9 members and headed over, a beer in his hand. “Hey, aren’t you the guys that work with Motoko? It’s Hiroji, remember? Man, it’s been a while. I heard a rumor that they were reforming Section 9. Is that true?” he asked, as he set his beer on the table.

“Yeah, it’s true, all right. You still in Section 1 then?” asked Ishikawa.

“Sure am. Say, is Motoko here?” Hiroji asked.

“Nope, sorry buddy, the Major’s not with us tonight.” Ishikawa answered.

Hiroji pulled a chair up to the end of the booth the team members were sharing, and tried to get more information on this rumored top secret mission that had forced the reformation of Public Security Section 9, but quickly realized the information wouldn’t be forthcoming from the group. He started to push his chair back to stand and leave, when Saito started to speak.

“You know what?” Saito said, “You’re one of only two people I’ve ever heard who calls the Major by her name. But you two lived together for a while back in the day, huh? So that makes sense I guess.”

“Yeah, well I never called her Major, we didn’t work together. That would have been weird as hell. So who’s the other one, then? I happen to remember she kind of likes people not using her name.”

“Oh this other guy who works with us, he’s called her Motoko for years.” said Ishikawa. Saito and Paz caught each other’s eye and grinned.

“Well, then, he’s slept with her, only explanation.” Hiroji responded.

Each of the three Section 9 members laughed. “He wishes,” added Paz.

“Nah, only people who have slept with her call her Motoko. Unless she wants to sleep with him, then she’d let it slide. Anyway, I gotta get moving. Maybe I’ll see you guys here some other night. Bring Motoko along next time.”

“Yeah, right.” Ishikawa waved him off. “Like we wanted to hang out with one of the Major’s exes in the first place,” he added to the others, after the Section 1 member was out of earshot.

“He did give us a useful piece of information though,” Saito pointed out.

“Who gets to tell Batou?” asked Ishikawa, which prompted the three to share another laugh.

* * * * *

The next morning, the Section 9 members had started to gather in the lounge at headquarters. Batou and Major Motoko Kusanagi sat at opposite ends of a long couch, while Paz and Borma shared a second. A third couch sat vacant. The three men chatted about a mission that Paz and Borma had left unfinished when the Major called them back to Japan, while the Major went over some intel files given to her by the Chief related to that morning’s meeting. Saito came in and took a spot on the vacant couch, and was soon followed by Ishikawa.

“So, I’m happy to announce we found a halfway decent dive to have a few drinks last night.” Ishikawa held back a grin.

“Really?” the Major asked, without looking up from the tablet in her hand.

“Indeed. You may want to stay away though, we ran into a certain individual from Section 1 you might recall.” he added.

“Not Hiroji again,” she said, looking up this time, just as Togusa came through the door.

“The very same. We had a little chat with him. What did you ever see in that idiot?” asked Ishikawa, now grinning broadly.

“What idiot?” asked Togusa, as he leaned on the arm on the couch nearest Saito.

“One of the Major’s exes from Section 1. We had a little chat, and he happened to give us an interesting piece of intel.” Ishikawa continued.

“And what was that?” Batou asked with genuine curiosity in his voice, before a now mildly annoyed Major had a chance.

“He said the only people allowed to call you Motoko are people you've slept with or people you want to sleep with. And Batou has been calling you by your first name for years.” finished Ishikawa. “So which is it?” he added, with a glance to the other team members.

“Neither,” the Major said firmly, while avoiding the desire to turn and look at Batou. “Hiroji’s an idiot and you shouldn't listen to him.”

“Oh geez, ouch, Batou.” laughed Borma.

“Didn’t it ever occur to you that he was just messing with you?” asked the Major, her voice now rising slightly in anger. She allowed herself a quick peek toward Batou. 

The ex-Ranger was staring straight ahead toward the door, his face still. With his prosthetic eyes, it was doubtless that he could see her in his periphery, so she looked back toward the rest of the team.

“Yeah, well, that guy was always a moron.” said Batou, his voice a quiet growl. “He was the one who botched the Kawashima investigation.”

The Major could tell by the tone of his response that her partner had not found any humor in Ishikawa’s story. “Or,” she thought, now mentally kicking herself, “more likely it was my reaction.”

Before she could think on it anymore, and even before Ishikawa could make his reply to Batou, the Chief called out to the group on the team’s comm channel.

“ _Are you dummies going to sit around wasting time all morning, or did you plan to attend the meeting I called?_ ” Aramaki asked the assembled Section 9 members.

“ _No, Chief, we’re on our way_.” responded the Major, an edge to her own voice now. “Damn,” she thought. She watched as Batou stood to leave the room ahead of the others. “What the hell am I gonna say to him?”

* * * * *

Several hours later, the meeting on tactics for dealing with the new global threat that Section had been rebuilt to deal with was over, and the Major was finally able to devote her thoughts back to the situation from that morning.

“Goddamn Ishikawa, why does he find things like that funny?” She thought, as she left the room where the meeting had been held and made her way to the corridor, with the intent of locking herself in her own office for the afternoon. She had always been closer to Batou than the rest of her team, but over the past five or six years, they had become the best of friends. They had spent countless days together, driving around the desert, talking, laughing, and doing what they both do best, taking on missions and chasing down their targets. They spent so many evenings together drinking and talking late into the night, just the two of them. So many early mornings, sharing coffee before the rest of the team gathered. She could honestly say that the past several years had been some of the most fun in her life, and that was due largely to the closeness that she and Batou shared. Now, she was worried that Ishikawa had brought back to the surface the one subject that the two of them had so carefully not discussed in the years since they had left Japan. Lost in thought, she was oblivious to the other team members leaving and heading off in the opposite direction, with the exception of her second in command.

During the meeting, Batou had been debating himself on whether or not what Ishikawa had said about the Major was true. He was undecided on if he should try to feel her out after the meeting ended or pretend like nothing happened, when he realized they were headed the same way. He was only a few steps behind her, and as he caught up to the squad leader, he tried to get her attention. “Major? You were quiet during the meeting.” She didn’t respond. “Major?”

“ _Major?_ ” he asked again over the comm channel they shared. She stopped walking away at last.

“Did you hear me? What's wrong with you, anyway? Hey, when was the last time you ate something?” Batou asked as she turned to look at him.

“Now that you mention it, it was yesterday. Or maybe the day before.” Since she didn’t experience hunger as a full-prosthetic user, over the years Motoko had developed the bad habit of not eating frequently enough. 

Batou made a frustrated noise and responded, “I knew it. I'm going to go get you something. What do you want?”

“Batou, you spent the last six years reminding me to eat so my brain doesn’t starve. You already know what I like. Get something for both of us and meet me in my office, okay?” Motoko gave him a slight smile.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll be back.” He replied, and she noticed his voice was still quieter than normal. As Batou turned to leave, she watched him go, with an odd feeling she couldn’t quite place rising to join her confused thoughts.

* * * * *

A short time later, Batou returned with bag of micro-machine enhanced cyborg food for two, a six-pack of beer for himself, and what appeared to be a fruit smoothie. The Major was waiting, on a short sofa on one side of her office. Batou dropped the food and six-pack on the table in front of her, and then moved around to sit next to her.

“Hey, remember that smoothie chain in L.A. you liked? The one that made specialized cyborg drinks… they opened one down the road, I seem to remember this is the kind you liked.” He said as he handed the purple drink to her.

She took a sip. “Yeah it is, but that was about four years ago. How did you remember that?”

He shrugged. “That's what I do.” He replied as he grabbed a beer from the six-pack and opened it.

Motoko couldn’t help but notice that the tone of Batou’s voice indicated he was still not his usual happy-go-lucky self. She watched as he downed most of the first beer in one go, set it down, and started to open the food containers. He started on his own sandwich without looking up at her. As she watched, she could tell he was trying to avoid having to talk to her, and the Major decided that she would have to say something.

“Batou, about earlier... Forget about what that idiot said. It didn't mean anything.”

“Yeah. Right.” He grunts. “Easier said than done,” he thinks.

She can tell from his scowl that this tactic has no chance of success. “So, what do you think about Smith’s plan for capturing these things alive?” she asked, realizing a change in subject would probably be best.

This seemed to work, as Batou disliked Smith just as much as she did. After all, Smith was ready to end their lives when he was done with them, and neither of them would forget his willingness to dispose of them with no thought any time soon. Once Batou had had a chance to vent a bit about what a dickhead Smith is, it only took a few minutes for the pair to return to the type of banter they had just a few weeks prior, when they were just two best friends working as mercenaries in the American southwest.

After they had a laugh about one particular group of Nomads they had run into, Batou asked the Major if the food was alright. He called her Motoko as he asked, and winced as he said it. Suddenly, it seemed like he was back to his moody, down self from just a short time earlier.

The Major saw the pained look as soon as he said her name. She’d seen him make that face before, on the countless times in the past when she’d had to turn him down for drinks, or otherwise hurt him in some way. She'd never realized just how much she hated seeing that expression on his face.

Before she had a chance to answer that the food had been just what she wanted, just like always, Batou stood, and said “Time to get to work. The Chief wants those recruit candidate profiles sorted, and any potentials on his desk by tomorrow afternoon.” He made his way to the door, and, with a half-hearted wave, he left the room without a glance toward the Major.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Assuming 2045 really is a canon follow up to Stand Alone Complex, this takes place after episode 9, and Section 9 is officially reformed. Also assumes some aspects of the manga as a sort of prequel to S.A.C.. The Major's Section 1 boyfriend never had a name in the manga, so I gave him one for the sake of clarity. I always liked the manga version of Aramaki better - I would love it if Aramaki spoke to the team the way he did in back then. I have this headcannon that Major doesn't eat much and often forgets, so Batou has learned to keep an eye on her.


	2. Only a matter of time

* * * * *

A few hours later, Motoko was finally finished with the reports Chief Aramaki had requested that morning. She’d been thinking about Batou throughout the afternoon while she worked, and had been wracking her brain as how to delicately bring up the subject of the nature of their relationship. They had managed to avoid the topic entirely for ages, content to simply go about their jobs, working side by side as friends, comfortable in the trust they had established over the many years they had been partners.

But the Major had been ignoring a nagging whisper from her ghost for months now, a whisper that was telling her that it was time to put that trust to the test, and take the next big leap of faith. An image of the look Batou had worn on his face earlier in the day came to the surface of her thoughts, and she cringed. “Damnit,” she thought. 

The squad leader had a reputation for her fearlessness, but this situation was different. She had never been good at facing her own feelings, and it had been so long since either of them had acknowledged that something greater existed between them. Who knew if the man she thought of now as her best friend still carried the depth of feelings he had for her a decade ago?

Over the private comm channel she shared with Batou, the Major asked, “ _Are you almost done working through those new recruit profiles the chief gave you?_ ”

“ _Not really, only about halfway_.” Batou answered.

“ _Well, call it a day. We need to go for a drink_.” The Major replied.

“ _Need? That’s an interesting way of putting it_.”

“ _Yes, need_.” She paused. _“Batou. When we were working as mercenaries, we were spending sixteen, eighteen, sometimes twenty four hours a day together. I got used to seeing you all day, every day. It doesn’t feel right now. I miss my best friend_.”

It took Batou a few seconds to reply, “ _Yeah, I‘ve felt the same_.”

“ _We need to go have a drink and talk, and figure this out. So, meet me downstairs in the parking garage in ten minutes_.”

“ _Yeah, ok_.”

* * * * *

Less than half an hour later, Batou and the Major were seated at the bar in the hotel where the Major had been occupying the penthouse suite since returning to the country. The bartender brought the pair the drinks they had ordered after they sat down, and retreated to the other end of the bar. It was quieter than normal in the bar, and the bartender kept an eye on the sullen pair. In silence, both took a drink without a glance towards the other.

“Batou, I know you're still upset...” The Major started.

“Oh you do, do you?” Batou asked, his voice a neutral tone.

“Batou, I know you just as well as you know me. As well as you knew exactly what kind of food I wanted, as well as you remembered what kind of drink I liked from four years ago, and as well as you were able to recognize that I was slightly off because I hadn't eaten in two days. I know you're upset because you got your hopes up again. And then I hurt you without even realizing it.”

“Yeah, well, I'm used to it by now.”

Batou finished the rest of his beer in one long drink. As he set the glass back down, he stood and turned to walk away. “What’s the point anyway? She’s never gonna change,” he thought.

“Batou…”

He noticed immediately that her voice had gone quieter and softer, almost a pleading tone. He turned to look at her, and saw what he thought might be a tear in the corner of her eye.

“Batou, there's a lot of things I need to say to you. Things I should have explained a long time ago. It might take me awhile, I'm not good at this kind of thing.” She turned her head back to stare at her nearly untouched drink.

Frozen for a moment looking at her, he finally sat back down, not taking his eyes away. No matter how upset he was, he couldn't even imagine walking away from her now. He wasn’t that much of a masochist.

With a glance toward the bartender, who had been keeping an eye on them since they sat down, the Major asked over the comm, “ _Maybe we should do this upstairs?_ ”

* * * * *

After they rode elevator in silence to the top floor of the hotel, the Major opened the door to the penthouse, and let Batou into the room before she followed and closed the door behind them. Batou crossed the room to a sofa on the opposite side, which faced a wall lined with windows, with an impressive view of the sea. He noted that, as always, the Major had incredibly good taste in places to stay. He sat, and looked over his shoulder to see if she intended to join him.

Motoko made her way across the room, and after she was seated next to her partner, she said, “I meant it when I said it might take me a while.”

“I'm not going anywhere.” He replied.

“Okay... Well I guess I need to go all the way back to Dejima... and Kuze.”

“Tcch.” Batou scowled and made an angry noise.

“Don't get jealous. There's no reason. That's what I'm trying to explain. That day on the tiltrotor when I dove past Kuze's ghost line... You said I seemed like a moody teenager who had just met the man of her dreams? Well, you were almost right. But it's not quite what you think.” Motoko paused for a minute to watch Batou’s face tense and fists tighten. Despite his reaction, she pressed on.

“Batou, I knew him. When we were kids... Batou, we were the only two survivors of the plane crash that put me in my full prosthetic body. We spent months in the hospital together after the crash. I had a childhood crush on him back then. We got separated after I went to live with my new foster family. I spent years looking for him after that.”

The Major paused again, and pressed a hand against her forehead. Batou waited, his fists still tightened, and watched as she raised her head to look out the window, a smile now on her lips.

“On Dejima, when we were trapped under the rubble, before he had realized who I was, he asked me if I'd found anyone I was close to, someone who I could confide in. Then, at that exact moment, we both heard you shouting my name from somewhere up above.”

“Motoko…” Batou started. Before he could finish, the Major continued, still smiling.

“And Kuze said, ‘Oh, I see.’ He just assumed that you and I were...” her voice trailed off.

“And then, he was gone. And there was nothing I could do. So I left. Truthfully I'd been wanting to leave for a while. I think you knew that. I was tired of working for a government organization and always being bound by regulations and politics. I think you nearly asked me what was wrong that last day, the day I left. You see, just before you found us on Dejima, Kuze told me about his plan to upload himself to the net so that he wouldn't die. I thought, with enough time, I might be able to find some trace of him. I thought maybe there was a chance that he'd made it, so I went to wander the net myself and look for him. Or even fragments of him. But as the months went by I started to feel like something was missing. Almost like a piece of my ghost was missing. I thought it was an emptiness caused by not being able to find any trace of Kuze, and the knowledge that I’d lost him for good.” She stood, and walked to the windows. Batou had relaxed his fists, but his face still bore a scowl. As the Major looked out over the sea, she continued her story.

“Then, before I knew it, two years had passed and Section 9 was investigating the Puppeteer. That night, after I almost whited out with Koshiki... Being back here at Section 9 was such an odd feeling. After I came around, and you were here waiting with me, I realized… that I felt like that piece of my ghost wasn't missing anymore. I knew immediately what it meant.” The Major turned now to look at Batou.

“It turns out, the part that I thought was missing… I had just left it behind here at Section 9. It, or rather…” she paused again briefly and took a breath before she continued, “He… was standing here waiting for me right where I'd left him. And the truth is I didn't even want to return to Section 9 then, but I couldn't walk away again. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving you. Not after everything I had put you through for the past two years, you seemed so different. I was curious about that sense of completeness I felt when I saw you again. And then, we went back to work. Before I knew it another four years had passed and Section 9 was being shut down, and I had never found a way to talk to you about Kuze or why I left. I just couldn't bring myself to drop that last barrier between us. These last six years though... That barrier has been getting weaker on its own with every year that's passed.” She stopped, her gaze still focused on Batou. His face was now a mix of confusion, and relief.

“Did you realize, that week you got back to Japan ahead of us, that was the first time we'd been apart in nearly five years?” Motoko asked with a smile.

“Yeah, I did. I missed you like crazy.” Batou answered, with a grin now on his face as well.

“Heh. Yeah, I missed you too. I got so used to spending every day with you. All the late nights, too much to drink, bad movies, and talking until the sun came up… You are the only person I could ever have a four hour conversation about cars with.”

“Best 5 years of my life.” Batou stated, still grinning.

The Major sighed. “Yeah, mine too. You know why?”

“Maybe. Was the same reason as it was for me?”

“Because I spent every day with my best friend, doing what we love?” Motoko answered.

“Yeah, same reason, then.” Batou chuckled.

“It feels strange being back here now, and only seeing you at work. I miss you even though you're right here. I feel like we lost something precious when we were forced to come back to Japan.”

Quietly, Batou responded, “Yeah. Me too. I liked it better when we were friends above anything else. Not that I've ever had a problem taking orders from you, it’s not that. It’s just…”

“I know, Batou, I feel it too. It's different now.”

“Yeah, that’s one way of putting it.”

“Batou? Do you...?” her voice trailed off.

He rose, and joined Motoko in front of the window. As he stood next to her, he placed an arm around her shoulder. The thought occurred to the Major that they had stood like this together once before, about a decade earlier.

“Never stopped. Not for a minute. You know that.” Batou answered, as he squeezed her a little tighter.

“You know, Batou, just for the record…” Motoko started, as she turned slightly to look at Batou’s face. “That idiot Hiroji wasn’t actually wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to tweak one of the lines from Dejima slightly to make it fit a bit better. I don't think they'd ever be too sappy, so I hope the dialogue is okay and not too over the top. I have mixed feeling on 2045 still, but I did like the opening episode, and I'd like to think they were having fun playing cowboy while they were out in the desert.


End file.
